The Grenada gazette., 1887-06-18
TESSY'S REAL DOLLY.
The Wretchedness Caused by One
Mans Meanness.


"Oh. mnvver! ooh dee, dee, dee!'
sobbed little Tessy Turner, hiding her
pretty curly head in her mothers lap,
and shaking all over with sobs.
''Why, Tessy. what's the matter9
Stop cryin' dear; now do stop!'
And by way Of helping her to obey.
the mother lifted the small girl into
her lap, and gently pulling away the
check apron, took a corner Of it. to
wipe off the tears that ran like the
drip of a summer rain out of Tessy's S
blue, sweet eyes.
Mrs. Turner was not given to kiss
ing, or carcssing of any kind; she only
strokcd the fair hair with her rough
hand, and held her baby closer to her
bosom with the other; but the close
pressure, and the dear, motherly face
bent over her meant "mother" to Tes-
sy in all the fullness of that blessed
word She began to grow calmer, TO
swallow the lump in her throat. to
wink away the slower falling tears,
and in two minutes managed to say,
brollcnly: "Oh. muvver! Ny skosh
dolly's all b'eakcd to pieces. Bose
jumped up when ! tame in, an tum-
buled me down, an dolly vented over
on the tepS and b 'eaked, an! an! oh
dec dee! My dolly's beaded all up!"
Arain the tears and sdAbs rot the
mastery Mrs. Turner'S head achcd
for her own dolly. who was so be-
reavcd IN the untimely end of the
"skosh' doll The Turner's were poor
farmers in the hill country Of New
England, barely living on the produce
of their few acres. Most of the butter
and eggs, all the spring chickens and
faft"d turkeys went to the 'Store' in
the next village, and were there bar
tered for clothing and a few groceries.
Tessy was the only living child. Two
or three had come and gone before
her, victims to damp celler, no sink
drain. scant and poor food, and viii
ated air IN the house where every
crack was puttied or papercd over. or
stuffed with rags, all the long winter,
in order to keep out the bitterness of
the cold.
When Tessy was born the old doc
tor who had dosed her brothers and
sisters with various ancient SORTS of
medicine. was on his dcath-bed, and
his spruce young successor insisted on
flannel, milk and fresh air for the
baby; so she grew up into u tolerably
hardy and very happy child. the idol of
that household, who regarded her with
as much fear as love, dreading
lest she, too, should 60 like her broth
ers and sisters. But she lived and
laughed, and made joyful slaves Of her
patient mother and her grim, hard
working father She hqd no toys, but
made herself playhouse" in the
rocks on the hillside by the side door
Of her home, gay with bits Of blue and
yellow crockery, fragments Of glass.
bits Of red calico. and a bright blue
''cricket," as. they called footstools in
that day, on which she sat aud sur.
vcyed her possessions, sang to her doll,
and administered catnip tea in clam
shell to the black and yellow kitten
that divided her affections with her
vegetable baby. For Tessy's doll was
neither more nor less than long.
necked squash. dressed in some Of her
old baby clothes; Its eyes were long
cuts In the top Of the neck indeed tho
whole face was rudely outliaed in the
same way-but Tessy, like the
Marchioness, made believe . good
DEAL" and loved the awkward creature
she tended, and rocked. and tucked mp
In bed every night in the corner Of the